Kerala Blasters walk off aside, ISL refereeing should improve

Indian football fans witnessed unprecedented scenes at the Sree Kanteerava stadium as Kerala Blasters, led by head coach Ivan Vukomanovic, staged a mass walkout from the pitch after Bengaluru FC skipper Sunil Chhetri scored a controversial freekick in extra time in the knockout match on Friday.

After questions were raised against referee Crystal John and how he allegedly didn't blow the whistle, coach Vukomanovic was seen marching on the field, shaking the hands of the Bengaluru players, and urging his own to go down the tunnel.

All this was happening only six minutes into the extra time after neither side was able to break the deadlock in regulation time in the knockout match, with a semi-final date with Mumbai City FC up for grabs.

The question begs: should Kerala Blasters have walked off the pitch? Surely, the players could have attempted to stage a come back in those 24 minutes. Many of the football fraternity have been critical of the Serbian tactician's impulsive decision, but one can understand that it was in the heat of the moment. But should that have happened?

Reportedly, midfielder Adrian Luna was eager to restart the game and was seen poised over the center with the ball before his coach beckoned them back. Who knows what would have happened if the side stayed on to play.

Was Chhetri's goal legal?

On the surface level, many are of the opinion that neither did referee John blow the whistle before the freekick, nor did he use the vanishing spray to mark the wall's line. However, a closer look at the FIFA rules may bring some clarity.

According to FIFA's Law 13 which deals with freekicks, "all opponents must be at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play." This means that all the Blasters players should have been at least 10 yards away from Chhetri.

"If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance: the kick is retaken," the rules further read.

In the above idea, Luna was the closest to Chhetri, and definitely not 10 yards away. So, according to the rules, the referee should have whistled for a retake. Interestingly, Chhetri's post-match comments reveal what went on in the moment.

"I told the referee that I neither want the whistle nor the wall. He asked me again and I said that yes I don't want either. I think Luna was blocking the first chance, and I think he knew it. I asked the referee two times and he knew it," Chhetri said about the goal.

Despite these comments, many feel that it was an illegal goal. Chhetri clearly reveals that the referee was privy to what he was going to attempt, and the official allowed it. If at all, this goal is in fact not legal, fingers should be pointed at the level of refereeing in the league, once again.

However, there are precedents to which we can refer to understand why many, if not most, football fans are calling it a legal goal. Be it Lionel Messi's quickly taken shot against Atletico Madrid in 2008, or Thierry Henry's freekick against Chelsea in 2004, there have been such situations in world football in the past.

Will Kerala Blasters face sanctions?

While this was the first walkout of its kind in the Indian Super League, it's not the first in Indian football history. It was Mohun Bagan who had walked off the pitch and refused to turn up for the second half of a Kolkata Derby in the I-League in 2012 after a stone was thrown at their player Syed Rahim Nabi.

After this decision of the Mariners, the side was slapped with a 2-year ban as well as a Rs. 2 crore fine. It wouldn't be surprising if the ISL takes similar action against Kerala Blasters, but only time will tell.

ISL refereeing needs to improve

While Ivan Vukomanovic's decision to call his team off the pitch certainly raised eyebrows, it is high time that some ire be directed towards the refereeing standards in the ISL.

Last month Chennaiyin FC coach Thomas Brdaric cried, "Today I feel robbed," after his opposition Odisha FC were allowed to walk away with a goal, which was clearly offside.

Then there was that Mumbai City FC v/s Hyderabad FC contest where Nikhil Poojary and Sanjeev Stalin both escaped red cards and stayed on to play the remainder of the match when they both should have been off.

Both of these incidents were just in the last one month.

Refereeing in ISL has been below par consistently over the years. It is something the league officials need to take a hard look at. Will Ivan Vukomanovic and Kerala Blasters' stand force them to make necessary changes? Only time will tell.

For now, the Bengaluru FC will continue their ISL campaign and face Mumbai City FC in the semi-finals while Kerala Blasters have the Super Cup to prepare for.